Inking mechanism for rotary intaglio printing presses



April 1951 c. s. CRAFTS ET AL 2,550,454

INKI'NG MECHANISM FOR ROTARY INTAGLIO PRINTING PRESSES Filed June 15,1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 VIII/Ill}VIII//Ill/II/IIII/III/Il/IIIIII/l/IIIII/Curtis 5. Ora! ta among QTWorthmgt-on wvow-w April 24, 1951 c. s. CRAFTSET AL INKING MECHANISM FOR ROTARY INTAGLIO PRINTING PRESSES 5Sheets-Sheet 5 I Filed June 15, 1945 am w m a i 2. m m y Www April 24,1951 c, 5, CRAFTS ET L 2,550,454

INKING MECHANISM FOR ROTARY INTAGLIO PRINTING PRESSES Filed June 13,1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Curtis 6. Cronhs .s'zmog wwflwmmgton c s CRAFTS ETAL 2,550,454

INKING MECHANISM FOR ROTARY INTAGLIO PRINTING PRESSES 5 Sheets-Shed 5NVEJNT'ORJS (Zuvtz's 6. Croats amnorg \M' Wovthzngt0n 7 M, W] g.cflTTOwyJ April 24, 1951 Filed June 13, 1945 Patented Apr. 24, 1951INKING MECHANISM FOR ROTARY INTAGLIO PRINTING PRESSES Curtis S. Crafts,Oak Park, and Emory W. Worthington, Chicago, Ill., assignors to The GossPrinting Press Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of IllinoisApplication June 13, 1945, Serial No. 599,228

22 Claims. (Cl. 101157) The present invention pertains to inkingmechanisms for rotary intaglio printing presses, and more particularlyto improvements in on closed or semi-enclosed fountains for them.

High speed operation of intaglio presses, particularly with volatilefast drying inks, has posed difficult problems of fountain closure. Oneof the earlies patents in the field addressed to the problem was that ofAdolph Weiss, Reissue No. 18,856, reissued June 6, 1933, and nowexpired. Subsequent patents in the field have, among other aspects ofthe problem, dealt with minimization of ink escape pasta reciprocatingdoctor which wipes excess ink from the design or printing cylinder ofthe press. Endwise reciprocation or vibration of the doctor is requisiteto prevent streaking of the ink on the wiped cylinder, yet the presenceof such a reciprocating element obviously increases the difiiculties ofclosure. A common expedient heretofore employed has been the use of astationary seal blade located beneath, and pressing upward against, thereciprocating doctor blade.

Stationary seal blades of the general character noted introduce adifliculty of their own. By reason of the-pressure which theynecessarily exert on the doctor blade, they tend to interfere with itsproper operation. The seal blade pres sure is opposed, in direction, tothe pressure of the doctor blade on the cylinder. Accordingly,distortion of the doctor blade with reference to the cylinder occursupon lodgment of any foreign matter between seal and doctor blades.

One general aim of the present invention is to accomplish effectualclosure about a reciprocating doctor without the use of any seal bladeat all, thus obviating the difiiculties outlined above.

Moreover, it is an object to provide an arrangement of rugged andstructurally simple construction which affords high integrity of sealingor closure and makes possible ready adjustment of blade position.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent asthe following description proceeds, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a rotary intaglio printingcouple equipped With an inking mechanism embodying the presentinvention.

7 Fig; 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary longitudinal sectional view takensubstantially along the line 22 in Fig. l.

3 is a fragmentary plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, with theimpression cylinder and web removed to expose the underlying parts.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken substantiallyalong the line 44 in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of an end portion of the doctorand holder, its supporting bracket, and a coacting. seal. plate.

Fig. 6 is a view, similar to Fig. 1, of an installation incorporating amodified form of inking mechanism also embodying the present invention.

Fig. '7 is an enlarged, fragmentary longitudinal sectional view takensubstantially along the line 11 in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig. 4 butof the corresponding structure in the modified mechanism of Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view of a portion of the doctor and itssupporting bracket.

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications andalternative constructions, we have shown in the drawings and willherein'describe in detail the preferred embodiment, but it is to beunderstood that we do not thereby intend to limit the invention to thespecific form disclosed, but intend to cover all modifications andalternative constructions falling within the spirit and scope of theinvention as expressed in the appended claims.

Referring more particularly to the first illustrative embodiment of theinvention (Fig. 1), the same has been shown as incorporated in an inkingmechanism for a rotary intaglio printing couple including a design orprinting cylinder 1 0 and impression cylinder 5 I. Through the couple isthreaded a web I2 which is tobe printed. The cylinders are journaled inthe usual opposed. vertical side'frames it (see Fig. 3) of the press. Agenerally trough-shaped ink fountain, designated generally as [4, islocated beneath and partially embraces or encloses the design cylinder28. It is with the closure, or substantial closure, of the otherwiseopen top of such fountain, and particularly in a manner toaccommodateendwise reciprocation of the doctor blade I5 00- acting with the designcylinder, that the present invention is primarily concerned.

The fountain .14 comprises, in this instance, a body casting extendingbetween and fixed to the side frames l3 and including inner and outershells I6, I l as Well as integral end walls [8. The interior issuitably webbed for reeniorcement. The inner shell it receives overflowink as will hereinafter appear and is sloped downwardly to an outletport l9 communicating through a passage 29 with a conduit 2| throughwhich ink is returned to the intake 22 of a suitable circulating pump23. Additional ink is also furnished to the intake 22 from a conduit 25leading from a reserve reservoir (not shown) A chamber 25 is definedbetween the inner and outer shells l6, l1 and may receive a suitablecooling or heating medium to retain the ink at a desired operatingtemperature.

Rising from the fountain body casting are front and rear walls 25, 2?.The front wall 25 is pivoted at 23 in order that it may be swungoutwardly in clearing the design cylinder lil during removal of thelatter. The rear wall 2?, on the other hand, has an upper extension orsection 23 hinged to it at 30 (Figs. 1 and 4) to swing inward toward thecylinder it for a purpose which will appear later. A slotted bracket 29'(Fig. 4 rigid with the wall section 25 is adjustably fixed to anadjacent one of the side frames by a screw it to hold the wall sectionin selected positions of inclination. The joint between the upper andlower sections of the rear wall is covered by a resilient sheet metalsealing strip. 3i fixed to the upper section.

Ink is supplied to the design cylinder Ill by way of a pan or trough 32located immediately beneath it and in which is maintained a pool of ink(see Figs. '2 and 4) in which the cylinder revolves. Ink is supplied tothe pan 32 from the circulating pump 23 by way of a conduit 33, thencethrough an entrance chamber 3% cored out of the fountain body casting,and thence through a pair of short lengths of conduit 35, swivel joints36 and a channel-shaped entrance fitting Bl secured to the pan. Inkemerges from the interior of the latter fitting into the pan throughports 38 arranged at intervals along the length of the pan. Deflectingtongues or protrusions 3 9 are struck up from the bottom of the pan inorder to deflect the entering ink to circulate into the pan in adirection counter to the direction of cylinder rotation. The resultingcounterflow aids in agitating the pool of ink in the pan to insurecomplete filling of the cells on the cylinder periphery.

The swivel joints 36 heretofore noted permit the pan 32 to be swungdownwardly away from the design cylinder it when the latter is to beremoved. Braces 48 pivoted on the lower side of the pan have notchedlower ends engageable with pins iii to hold the pan releasably in theoperating position shown (Fig. 1).

' Labyrinth type sealing structures (see Figs. 2 and 3) are provided atopposite ends of the design cylinder Hi to prevent seepage of the inkalong its shaft 42 into their bearing cartridges at 42' by means ofwhich the shaft is supported in the side frames l3. For that purposecupshaped housings 43 enclose the shaft at the inner faces of the sideframes and are internally ribbed as indicated at 44, these housingshaving openings in their lower sides for drainage of any ink that mayenter. Alternating with the housing ribs id are slinger ribs 46 on theshaft. Any ink tending to flow along the shaft in an outboard directionis thrown outward by the slinger ribs it and drains out of the housings33 at 45 back into the lower portion of the fountain Hi. The housings 43are split along their vertical center lines so that the front half maybe removed in removing the design cylinder.

The doctor blade i5 is mounted quite independently of the fountain l4and the latter can in fact be removed bodily without removing ordismantling the doctor. A holder comprising upper and lower clamp plates4'5, 48 (Figs. 4 and 5) receives the doctor blade with the lattersandwiched between them, the inner side edge of the doctor protrudingcantilever fashion a short distance into wiping contact with thecylinder it. The doctor blade itself is customarily made of high grade,thin, resilient steel, its function being to wipe excess ink from thedesign cylinder so that ink remains only in the cells or intagliationsof the latter. Such being the case, the precision maintenance of aselected pressure of the doctor blade against the design cylinderthroughout the length of the blade is a matter of critical importance.

In the present instance, the lower clamping plate 38 of the doctorholder is of L-shaped cross-section (see Fig. 5), thus presenting alongitudinally extending shoulder against which the rear edges of theupper clamping plate and doctor blade are firmly abutted. The centralportion of the front edge of this lower clamping plate 43 is notched fora distance only a little less than the length of the doctor blade,leaving two end finger portions it projecting forward beneath the endsof the blade 15. The forward edge of the lower clamping plate along thenotch in it is tapered away from the blade as indicated at 50.Similarly, the forward edge of the overlying clamping blade ll istapered away from the edge of the blade as indicated at St. Normally theblade is flexed upward by its pressure against the design cylinder. Andeven downward fiexure is prevented only at its end portions which areunderlaid by the forwardly projecting fingers 49 of the lower clampingplate.

The doctor holder plates 41, 48 are carried on a pair of supporting arms52, being secured to the latter in a manner which will appear below.These arms are pivoted at 53 on brackets 54 carried by a slide 55. Thisslide is reciprocable endwise along dovetail guides 55 fashioned on thetop of a supporting beam 5'! extending between and carried by the sideframes I3 at the rear side of the fountain. A suitable drive mechanismis employed for vibrating or reciprocating the slide 55 and doctorcarried by it, including, for example, a connecting rod 53 (Fig. 3)pivoted at one end to the slide and operated by any suitable mechanism,such, for example, as that disclosed in C. S. Crafts Patent No.2,178,069, issued October 31, 1939.

Any suitable mechanism may be employed for rocking the doctor toward andfrom the cylinder [5 for varying the wiping pressure on the latter. Byway of example, a pneumatic actuator Hill has been shown (Figs. 1 and 2)for that purpose. It is carried on a bracket llll fixed to the slide 55to reciprocate with the latter. The piston rod I02 of the actuator ispivoted to a heavily webbed arm "13 projecting rearwardly from thesupporting bracket, later described, for the doctor holder. By admittingair to, or exhausting it from, the actuator the doctor is rocked aboutpivots 53.

Precision adjustment of the doctor blade l5 with reference to theperiphery of the design cylinder Ill is accomplished through mountingthe brackets 54 in inclined guides 58 (Figs. 3 and 4) extendingtransversely on the slide 55. The angle of inclination of these guidesparallels the angular position of the doctor blade suited for the meanvalue of cylinder diameter in the range of such diameters which themechanism is the doctor blade may be moved bodily toward and from thedesign cylinder.

The parallelism between the plane of the blade and path of itsadjustment toward and from the cylinder, noted above, is of specialsignificance in accomplishing smooth wiping action by the blade. Bladewear or sharpening are likely to result in a blade edge out of true withits longitudinal axis. By'adjusting the screws 59 the blade shown can beshifted in its own plane edges of the front and rear fountain walls 26,29

and the inner faces of the side frames l3. Substantial closure of suchopen top, except for an In contrast, if a blade with its edge out ofarea permitting protrusion of a small portion of the design cylinder tocontact the web 12, is necessary for high speed operation. Not only doeshigh rotational speed of the cylinder It throw ink that must be confinedbut, in addition,

quick drying inks, best suited for high speed work, are highly volatile.The latter factor makes desirable an even more complete closure thanrequired to confine splashing andspraying of the ink.

To effect such closure of the top of the fountain, a multi-part orcomposite structure is used.

That type of construction is employed not only to aid in disassembly forclearing the design cylinder during removal of the latter but also toaccommodate reciprocation of the doctor and its holder. In theillustrated arrangement, the composite closure structure includes a pairof splash guards 6E5 disposed at opposite ends of the design cylinderIQ. These splash guards are generally arcuate in shape, conformingclosely to the curvature of the design cylinder periphery and havingonly a small clearance from it. They overlie the ends of the cylinderand extend out substantially flush with the inner faces of the adjacentside frames it (see Fig. 2). Each splash guard has an outer end wall andis pivoted at' 6| on a boss 62 (see Fig. 1) protruding from the adjacenthousing 43 on the rear 'side of the cylinder axis. The splash guards 60may thus be swung upwardly to clear the cylinder during removal of thelatter. Finished surfaces on the splash guards rest on locating bosses63 on the housings 43 so that the splash guards are accuratelypositioned for precise clearance of small dimension from the printingcylinder periphery.

On their rear sides the. splash guards 66 have tailpieces 6 (Figs. 2 and4) projecting downwardly in axially spaced but overlapping relation withthe respective ends of the design cylinder l0 and extending laterallyfrom the side frames inward toward the adjacent ends of the designcylinder II). The spacing at S (Fig. 2) between these tailpieces and theends of the design cylinder is sufficient to permit axial adjustment orside lay of the cylinder. These tailpieces are generally arcuate inshape, having a radius of curvature centered at the mean location of theaxis for the doctor pivots 53. The forward nose or edge of theprotruding end portions 49 of the lower doctor clamping plate 48 arerounded complementally to the shape of the opposed faces of thetailpieces so as to have but a small clearance from them. This clearanceis great enough to accommodate the relatively small changes in doctorposition incident to adjustment of pressure. Upon substitution of adesign cylinder of different diameter, which occasions a substantialchange in doctor position, splash guards of appropriately differentdimension, both as to main body portion and tailpiece, are alsosubstituted.

The front portion of the top of the fountain is closed by a closurestrip 85 (Figs. 1 and 3) fixed tothe upper edge of the front fountainwall 25 and projecting inwardly toward the design cylinder iii. It isdimensioned to rest on the outer surfaces of the splash guards in directsealing contact with them but has a small clearance from the designcylinder so that there is no actual contact with the latter. The strip65 may be made of molded plastic and, like the splash guards, isreplaceable for different cylinder diameters.

Turning now to the sealing arrangement at the opposite or rear side ofthe fountain, it will be perceived that a bracket 66 (see particularlyFigs. 4 and 5) is rigid with the forward ends of the supporting arms 52heretofore identified and extends longitudinally of the doctor,protruding beyond the latters ends. It is against the upper face of thisbracket that the doctor holder assembly ll, 38 is pressed by clampingshoes 61 fixed in position by screws 88.

The bracket 66 has a top wall 69 generally rectangular in outline, itsfront edge being notched or relieved to embrace the design cylinder withsufficient clearance from the ends of the latter to permit bodilyreciprocation of the bracket without interference with the cylinder.Since the bracket is supported from the slide 55 as a support for thedoctor, the bracket must of course reciprocate with the doctor.Depending :1 from the top wall portion 69 of the bracket 56 is anintegral rear wall iii, terminating at its opposite ends in forwardlyprojecting end walls '51 which are also integral with the top wallportion 69. The end wall portions ll extend forwardly along the ends ofthe notch in the front edge of the top wall portion 69 and are thusdisposed at opposite ends of the cylinder Hi. As best shown in Fig. 4,the noses or front edges of the end wall portions ll are shaped to formcontinuations of the forwardly projecting fingers G8 on the ends of thelower blade clamping plate id. The top wall portion 69 extends outwardlybeyond the end .wall portion ll for a purpose which will appear later.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the bracket '55 is shaped tomore or less box-in the space beneath the doctor blade i 5. Consequentlyink wiped from the cylinder surface by the doctor blade is confined bythe underlying bracket and deflected downward by the wall portions 10and ii of the latter toward the bottom of the fountain.

Whether the ink so deflected flows back into the pan 32 or down into theshell or sump i5 is of little or no'moment since it is in any eventreturned eventually for re-application to the cylinder.

The bracket (56 reciprocates bodily since it is borne by the arms 52 onthe slide 55 and, in fact, supports the doctor blade itself. For thatreason the clearancejbetween theends of the cylinder 7 Hi and thebracket end wall portion H must be sufiicient to allow suchreciprocation. Moreover, the ends of the bracket must be spacedsuficiently from the opposed inner faces of the side frames l-3to allowreciprocation of the bracket without interference from the frames.

To close the clearance gaps between the op posed inner faces of the sideframes l3 and ends of the reciprocating bracket a pair of sealing platesF2 are utilized (see particularly Figs. 3 and 5). Such sealing platesare generally rectangular in outline and have fiat finished top surfacesadapted to underlie a complemental flat finish on the undersides of theprojecting ends of the bracket top wall portion 69. The seal plates 12.do not reciprocate and consequently the ends of the bracket slide backand forth over them as the bracket reciprocates. The seal plates 12 aredimensioned to extend from the inner faces of the side frames 13 to. apoint sufiiciently far beneath the ends of the bracket top wall portion69 such that there is some overlap of the latter with reference to theseal plates throughout the full stroke of reciprocation for the bracket.

In order to maintain contact between the seal plates 72 and theoverlying ends of the bracket 66 during pivotal adjustment of suchbracket, provision is made for pivotally mounting the seal plates. Forsuch purpose the seal plates 72 are made; rigid with the ends ofsupporting arms i3 (Figs. 1, 3 and 5) which extend up and over the rearfountain. wall. Such arms l3 are carried on pivot pins it fixed inbrackets 15 adjustably bolted to inclined pads l5 fixed on the beam 51at points beyond the ends of the guide By slidably adjusting thebrackets 75 along the pads "35 the pivots it can be retained in.alignment with the doctor bracket pivots 53, the angle of inclinationfor the pads 75 being the same as for the guides 53. The contactingbracket 65* and seal plates T2 are thus rocked or pivoted about alignedcenters and hence remain in arcuate face-to-face contact. The arms l3are urged by compression springs i6 abutting against lugs 1? on the armsto swing upward in a direction to retain the seal plates '52 against thebottom faces of the bracket end portions. Swinging motion of the arm 73in such direction is limited by adjustable stop pins 18' threaded inlugs E9 on the arms.

It is to be observed that although the springs 16 cause the seal plates12 to exert an upward pressure on the bracket 66, and hence tend to liftthe doctor blade E5, the pressure is applied in such a way that nodistortion of the doctor blade itself results. applied between members72 and 69, both of which are of more or less massive, rigid form ascompared to a thin flexible sheet metal blade. Consequently there is nopossibility of distorting the members 72 and 69 as contrasted with thedistortion of the doctor blade which results in In other words, thepressure is the event that pressure is applied directly to the a doctorblade itself. The space between the ends of the doctor and adjacentinner faces of the side frames is thus effectually sealed without in anyway impairing the operation of the doctor blade itself.

Provision is also made for preventing the escape of ink in an upwarddirectionbehind the doctor supporting bracket 66. For that purpose theupper section 29 of the fountain wall is carried upward behind thedepending rear wall portion 10 of the bracket 66. These two overlyingwalls 29 and 10 thus coact to bafile the escape. of ink over the rearfountain wallin all 2 positions of pivotal adjustment of the bracketabout the pivots 53.

If desired, even more complete closure may be elfected by a resilientrubber sealing strip (Fig. 4) on the upper edge of the rear fountainwall. As indicated, this strip may, for example, be fashioned as alongitudinally slit tube snapped over the inturned lip or edge of thewall and disposed to bear against the rear and bottom faces of thebracket is and the rear faces of the seal plates 12. Since the fountainwall extends from side frame to side frame, closure is complete betweenthese frames.

From the foregoing it will be seen that there is substantially a totalenclosure of the fountain l4 and design cylinder H3, except for the topportion of the latter, between the doctor blade I5 and offside sealstrip fid. With such a complete" enclosure, only a negligible amount ofvolatilized constituents of the much less any droplets of the inkitself, can escape even when the cylin' der is run at extremely highspeeds. The p'osi-" tion of the doctor blade it and its pressure may be'adjusted at will without affecting the integrity of the seal. Moreover,the sealing is maintained despite the normal reciprocation of the doctorincident to operation of the press.

By way of recapitulation it will be observed upon reference to Fig. 3,for example, that there" a closure structure forthe top" of the fountainI d which has a rectangular opening in it through which the top of thecylinder It is exposed; The front and end portions of this cover'st'ruc'tureare constituted by the front seal plate 65' and end splash guards6-0 which remain stationary during operation. The rear portion of thecover structure, constituted by the bracket 66, doctor blade itself, andseal plates T2, rises and falls, however, course of rocking the bracketabout pivots 53 in adjusting the doctor blade pressure. Whatever therise and fall of the movable cover portion 66*, i5, T2 may be; however,integrity of sealing is maintained. Thus the tailpieces M on the guards60 retain closed what would otherwise be gaps there upon lowering ofthebracketand seal plates below the ends of the uards. {-Xnd similarly,the rear wall T0 on the bracket 66 remains overlapped with the rearfountain wall 29 throughout riseand fall adjustment of the'bracket.

To remove the design cylinder 1'9 the fountain can be opened by swingingthe front wall 26 downwardly and outward about its pivot 28. The splashguards 69 and ink pan 32 are swung away from each other more or less inthe manner of the opening of a pair of jaws, so that the fountain isfreed from the cylinder for" the latters removal. Wedge blocks (notshown) in the side frame to which the front halves of the housings itare secured, are also removed infreeing the cylinder for removal. Sincethe fountain M is structurally independent of the supporting arrangementfor the doctor blade l5, the fountain can be bodily removed from betweenthepress frames without dismantling or disturbingthe doctor.

A modified forrh of inking mechanism for a rotogravure printing pressembodying the present invention is shown in Figs. 6 to 9. The generallayout issimilar to that employed in Figs. 1 to-5'; The arrangement is;however, somewhat simplified.- although as a consequence of thisstructuralsimplification the closure-of the fountain'is-not as completein all respects as in Figs. 1 to 5: (Consequently, the arrangement shownin Figs. 6 to 9 should more properly be termed a semi-enclosed fountainas distinguished from the enclosed type of Figs. 1 to 5.

Generally stated, the arrangement of Figs. 6 to 9 differs from that ofFigs. 1 to 5 primarily in that the seal plates '12 are omitted and thespace left open between the ends of the doctor supporting bracket andthe opposed inner faces of the side frames. Moreover, the doctorsupporting bracket is, in effect, made in two parts rather than one inthat the depending rear and end walls are constituted by a separatepiece rather than being integral with the body of the bracket as inFigs. 1 to 5.

In view of the close similarity of the structures noted, the samereference numerals have been applied to identical parts in theinstallation of Figs. 6 to 9 as in that of Figs. 1 to 5 and repetitionof description for them is unnecessary. Those parts which have beenmodified in form are indicated by the same reference numeral plus theletter a.

Upon reference to Figs. 6 to 9, it will be seen that the doctorsupporting bracket tea is generally L-shaped in cross section and inthis instance has a straight front edge rather than being notched as inthe case of the previously described bracket 66. Rigid with the bracket66a is a guard 55b which, although formed as a structurally separatepiece, constitutes a part of the bracket.

The guard 661) has a top wall 69a, a rear wall Illa, and end walls Ila,corresponding, respec tively, to the top, rear and end wall portions 69,

ill and H of the bracket 66 heretofore described.

The rear wall Ella is, in the present instance, curved with the axisthrough the pivots 53 as substantially the center of the radius ofcurvature.

The end walls Ha of the guard 6% rise alongside the end of the lowerclamping plate 48a for the doctor blade [5 (see Fig. 9). The projectingfinger portions 49 of the corresponding clamping plate 58 in Figs. 1 to5 are accordingly omitted. The ends of the doctor blade itself projectout beyond the plates 41, 48a in position to be gripped conveniently instretching the blade fiat upon its insertion in the clamp plates. Thefront edges of the guard end walls Ha are curved in conformity with thecurvature of the tailpieces 54 on the splash guards Ma (Fig. 8) so as toremain closely adjacent the latter during tilting adjustment of thedoctor bracket about the pivots 53. The splash guards 69a aresubstantially identical with the previously described guards at exceptthat their outer ends are spaced a small distance from the inner facesof the side frames (Fig. 7) rather than being flush.

In the arrangement of Figs. 6 to 9 the guard 66!), being rigid with thedoctor supporting bracket 65a, reciprocates bodily withit. The uard 66bboxes-in the space beneath the doctor blade, thereby effectivelyconfining ink in such area against escape. The splash guards bile andoffside sealing strip 55 close the ends and offside of the fountain asbefore. Consequently the top of the fountain is effectually closedexcept at the clearance space between ends of the guard iiiib and innerfaces of the side frames 63. Such space is, however, in an area wherethere is a minimum tendency for ink to escape and consequently speeds ofoperation are possible which at least approach those of the totallyenclosed arrangement of Figs. 1 to 5 even though not equalling them;

10 We claim as our invention: 1. In an inking mechanism for a rotaryintaglio printing press having a rotatable design cylinder, thecombination of a generally trough shaped fountain adapted to be locatedbeneath the cylinder with its front and rear walls rising on either sideof the cylinder, a doctor blade, a supporting bracket for said doctorblade including a top wall underlying the doctor as well as a dependingrear wall positioned to overlap in. closely spaced relation the upperportion of the adjacent rear wall of said fountain, both said top andrear bracket walls extending imperforately for substantially the fulllength of the doctor, and means supporting said bracket from a pointexterior of the fountain for endwise bodily reciprocation. v

2. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio printing press having arotatable design cylinder, the combination of a generally trough shapedfountain adapted to be located beneath the cylinder with its front andrear walls rising on either side of the cylinder, a doctor blade, asupporting bracket for said doctor blade including a top wall underlyingthe doctor as well as a depending rear wall positioned to overlap inclosely spaced relation the upper portion of the adjacent rear wall ofsaid fountain, both said top and rear bracket walls extendingimperforately for substantially the full length of the doctor, a slide,means supporting said slide exteriorly of said fountain on the side ofthe latter adjacent said doctor for reciprocation of the slide inparallelism with the cylinder, and means including a supporting armcarried by said slide and overhanging the adjacent fountain wall forsupporting said bracket for rocking motion toward and from the cylinder.

3. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio printing press having arotatable design cylinder, the combination of a generally trough shapedfountain adapted to be located beneath the cylinder with its front andrear walls rising on either side of the cylinder, a doctor blade, asupporting bracket for said doctor adapted to box-in the space beneaththe latter and including a top wall as well as depending rear and endwalls, means for releasably fixing said doctor to said top wall, saiddepending rear wall being disposed in overlapping relation with theadjacent rear wall of the fountain, means supporting said bracket from apoint exterior of the fountain for endwise bodily reciprocation, andsaid bracket end walls being spaced outwardly from the ends of saidcylinder sufficiently to clear the latter during reciprocation of saidbracket.

4. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio printing press having arotatable design cylinder, the combination of a generally trough shapedfountain adapted to be located beneath the cylinder with its side wallsrising on either side of the cylinder, a doctor blade, a slide supportedfor endwise reciprocation exteriorly of the rear fountain side wall andin parallelism with the cylinder axis, an arm pivoted on said slide torock about a horizontal axis and disposed to project inward over saidrear fountain wall, a supporting bracket for said doctor rigid with saidarm and including a top wall inclined downward- 1y toward the cylinderand adapted for attachment of the doctor thereto, said bracket alsoincluding depending rear and end walls rigid with said top wall, saidend walls projecting forwardly to partially overlap the ends of thecylinder and being offset endwise from the latter to afford clearancefor reciprocation of said slide without interference with the cylinder,and said rear wall of said bracket being disposed in overlappingrelation with the rear wall of the fountain for coaction therewith inbafiling the escape of ink over said fountain wall in all positions ofpivotal adjustment of said bracket by movement of said pivoted arm.

5. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio printing press having arotatable design cylinder, the combination of a generally trough shapedfountain adapted to be located beneath the cylinder with its side wallsrising on either side of the cylinder, a doctor blade, a slide supportedfor endwise reciprocation exteriorly of the rear fountain side wall andin parallelism with the cylinder axis, an arm pivoted on said slide torock about a horizontal. axis and disposed to project inward over saidrear fountain wall, a supporting bracket for said doctor rigid with saidarm and including a top wall inclined downwardly toward the cylinder andadapted for attachment of the doctor thereto, said bracket alsoincluding depending rear and end walls rigid with said top wall, saidend walls projecting forwardly to partially overlap the ends of thecylinder and being offset endwise from the latter to afford clearancefor reciprocation of said slide without interference with the cylinder,and said rear wall of said bracket being disposed in overlappingrelation with the rear wall of the fountain for coaction therewith inbaflling the escape of ink over said fountain wall in all positions ofpivotal adjustment of said bracket by movement of said pivoted arm, saidrear wall of said fountain having an upper section hinged to swinginwardly toward the cylinder and adjustable means for retaining saidhinged wall section in close proximity with saidv rear wall of saidbracket 6. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio printing presshaving a rotatable design cylinder, the combination of a fountainadapted tobe located beneath the cylinder and having a rear walldimensioned to rise alongside the same in spaced relation to it, a pairof splash guards arcuately contoured to overlie in closely spacedrelation the tops of the cylinder end portions and projecting outwardlytherefrom axially of the cylinder, a doctor blade, a bracket adapted tosupport said blade in wiping contact with the rear side of the cylinderand dimensioned to ex.- tend from beneath the doctor rearwardly to saidrear fountain wall to substantially close the gap between such wall andthe: blade, a slide reciprocable in parallelism with the cylinder axis,means supporting said bracket on said. slide to reciprocate therewithand for. adjusting movement about a pivotal axis paralleling thecylinder axis, and said splash guards having depending tailpiecesthereon opposed. to the front edges of the. end portions of said bracketand curved along radii centered substantially on said pivotal axis, saiddepending tailpieces projecting downwardly inaxially spaced butoverlapping relation with the respective ends of the design cylinder.

7. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intagho printing press having aprinting couple including design and impression cylinders, thecombination of a doctor blade, a reciprocable supporting bracket forpositioning said blade to extend. along. the design. cylinder in wipingcon.- tact with it, said bracket. projecting: beyond the ends ofsaidblade, means. supporting said bracket for adjustment about av ivotalaxis, a pair of splash guards arcuately contoured to overlie and closelyembrace the tops of the end portions of the design cylinder, said guardsextending circumferentially of the design cylinder from a point adjacentthe line of contact of said doctor blade with such cylinder to a pointbeyond the bite of the design cylinder with the coacting impressioncylinder, said guards also having depending portions opposed in closelyspaced relation to the ends of said bracket and curved with a radius ofcurvature centered substantially at said pivotal axis, said dependingportions extending in axially spaced but overlapping relation with therespective ends of the design cylinder.

8. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio printing press having arotatable design cylinder, the combination of a generally trough shapedfountain dimensioned to underlie the cylinder with front and rear wallsrising on either side of the cylinder in spaced relation thereto, acover structure for the top of said fountain having a rectangular opencenter through which the top of the cylinder is exposed, said openingbeing bordered on the front side and ends by Stationary portions of saidcover structure which substantially close the top of said fountain alongthe front and ends of said cylinder, the rear side of said opening beingbordered by a portion of said cover structure which is structurallyseparate from the first-mentioned portions, a doctor blade carried bysaid separate portion and coacting therewith in substantially closingthe gap between the cylinder and rear Wall of the fountain, meansadjustably supporting said separate portion for rise and fall of thesame to vary the wiping pressure of said doctor blade on the cylinder,and a depending rear Wall on said separate portion of said coverstructure disposed in closely adjacent overlapping relation with saidrear wall of the fountain and dimensioned to remain in overlappingrelation therewith throughout the range of rise and fall adjustment ofsaid sep arate portion.

9'. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio printing press having arotatable design cylinder, the combination of a generally trough shapedfountain dimensioned to underlie the cylinder with front and rear wallsrising on either side of the cylinder in spaced relation thereto, acover structure for the top of said fountain having a rectangular opencenter through which the top of the cylinder is exposed, said openingbeing of lesser length and width than the cylinder, said opening beingbordered on the front side and ends by stationary portions of said coverstructure which substantially close the top of said fountain along thefront and ends of said cylinder, the end portions of said coverstructure being arcuately contoured to extend over the tops of thecylinder ends in closely spaced relation, the rear side of said openingbeing bordered by a portion of said cover structure which isstructurally separate from the first-mentioned portions, a doctor bladecarried by said separate portion and coacting therewith in substantiallyclosing the gap between the cylinder and rear wall of the fountain,means adjustably supporting said separate portion for rise and fall ofthe same to vary the wiping pressure of said doctor blade on thecylinder, and said arcuately contoured portions of the cover structurehaving depending tail pieces thereon presented to the forward edge ofsaid separate cover portion throughout the range of rise and fall of thelatter.

10. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio printing press having arotatable design cylinder, the combination of a generally trough shapedfountain dimensioned to underlie the cylinder with front and rear wallsrising on either side of the cylinder in spaced relation thereto, acover structure for the top of said fountain having a rectangular opencenter through which the top of the cylinder is exposed, said openingbeing bordered on the front side and ends by stationary portions of saidcover structure which substantially close the top of said fountain alongthe front and ends of said cylinder, the rear side of said opening beingbordered by a portion of said cover structure which is structurallyseparate from the first-mentioned portions, a doctor blade carried bysaid separate portion and coacting therewith in substantially closingthe gap between the cylinder and rear wall of the fountain, meansadjustably supporting said separate portion for rise and fall of thesame to vary the wiping pressure of said doctor blade on the cylinder,and generally vertically disposed barriers carried by at least one ofsaid cover structure portions and in position to close the gaps betweenthe opposed portions of said stationary and separate cover portionsotherwise appearing as an incident to rise and fall adjustment of saidseparate portion.

11'. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio printing press havinga rotatable design cylinder, the combination of a generally troughshaped fountain dimensioned to underlie the cylinder with front and rearwalls rising on either side of the cylinder in spaced relation thereto,a cover structure for the top of said fountain having a rectangular opencenter through which the top of the cylinder is exposed, said openingbeing bordered on the front side by a plate element of said coverstructure fixed to the front wall of the fountain and projectinginwardly into closely spaced relation with the cylinder to substantiallyclose the top of said fountain along the front of said cylinder, theends of said opening being bordered by splash guard elements of saidcover structure arcuately contoured to overlie the tops of the cylinderend portions in closely spaced relation, the rear side of said openingbeing bordered by a portion of said cover structure which isstructurally separate from the previously mentioned elements, a doctorblade carried by said separate portion and coacting therewith insubstantially closing the gap between the cylinder and rear wall of thefountain, means adjustably supporting said separate portion for rise andfall of the same to vary the wiping pressure of said doctor blade on thecylinder, said splash guards having depending tailpieces on their rearends presented to the adjacent parts of said separate cover portionthroughout the range of rise and fall of the latter, and a dependingrear wall on said separate portion of said cover structure disposed inclosely adjacent overlapping relation with the rear fountain wall.

1'2. In aninking mechanism for a rotary intaglio design cylinder, thecombination with a doctor supporting bracket adapted to extend along oneside of the cylinder and pivoted for adjustable swing about an axisgenerally paralleling that of the cylinder, of guards overlying the topsof the cylinder ends and having portions extending downwardly in frontof the ends of said bracket, the latter having depending end wallsthereon with their forward edges closely spaced from said downwardlyextending portions of said 14 guards, and both the latter portions ofsaid guards and said edges of said bracket end Walls opposed theretobeing curved with radii of curvature centered substantially upon saidaxis of pivotal adjustment, said downwardly extending portions of saidguards lying in overlapping but axially spaced relation with therespective ends of the design cylinder.

13. In an inking mechanism for a rotary in-' taglio design cylinderjournaled between a pair of press side frames, the combination of agenerally trough shaped fountain positioned beneath the cylinder andhaving an upstanding rear wall rising in spaced relation with thecylinder to a level adjacent the top of the latter, a doctor bladeextending longitudinally of the cylinder in edge contact with it, asupporting bracket for said doctor having a top wall dimensioned toextend beyond the ends thereof and rearwardly from the doctor intoproximity with the upper edge of said rear fountain. wall, said bracketalso having a depending rear wall overlapping said rear fountain wall inclosely spaced relation to it, means for reciprocating said doctor andits supporting bracket endwise, said doctor and bracket being of lesserlength than the spacing between the side frames to afford end clearancefor reciprocation,

and seal plates projecting inwardly from respective ones of said sideframes in overlapping relation with said carrier to substantially closethe clearance gaps between the ends of said carrier and the side frames.

14. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio design cylinderjournaled between a pair of press side frames, the combination of agenerally trough shaped fountain positioned beneath the cylinder andhaving an upstanding rear wall rising in spaced relation with thecylinder to a level adjacent the top of the latter, a doctor bladeextending longitudinally of the cylinder in edge contact with it, animperforate carrier for said doctor dimensioned to extend substantiallythe full length thereof and outwardly from the doctor into proximitywith the upper edge of said rear wall, to thereby coact with the doctorin closing the gap between the cylinder and said rear wall, means forreciprocating said doctor and its carrier endwise, said doctor andcarrier being of lesser length than the spacing between the side framesto afford end clearance for reciprocation, and fiat finished seal platesprojecting inwardly from respective ones of said side frames inoverlapping relation with the end portions of said carrier tosubstantially close the clearance gaps between the ends of said carrierand the side frames, the end portions of said carrier having fiatfinished sealing surfaces complemental to said flat finished sealplates.

i 15. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio printing press havinga rotatable design jcylinder journaled between a pair of opposed pressside frames, the combination of an ink fountain adapted to be positionedbeneath. the cylinder with the rear wall on the fountain risingalongside the cylinder, a reciprocable doctor mechanism including adoctor blade and supporting bracket therefor positioned to overlie thespace between the cylinder and said rear wall of said fountain, saidbracket presenting longitudinally extending flat finished surfaces onits end portions, non-reciprocatory sealing plates having fiat surfacesthereon slidably contacting said surfaces on said bracket, said sealingplates being dimensioned to extend inwardly from points adjacent theinner faces of the side frames into sufficient overlap with said bracketto remain in overlapping relation with the latter throughout the rangeof reciprocatory movement of said bracket, and means pivotallyisupporting both said bracket and said sealing plates for rockingadjusting motion about substantially aligned axes in an up and downdirection.

16. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio printing press having arotatable design cylinder journaled between a pair of opposed press sideframes, the combination of an ink fountain adapted to be positionedbeneath the cylinder with the rear wall on the fountain rising alongsidethe cylinder, a reciprocable doctor mechanism including a doctor bladeand supporting bracket therefor positioned to overlie the space betweenthe cylinder and said rear wall of said fountain, said bracketpresenting flat finished surfaces projecting longitudinally from its endportions, non-reciprocatory sealing plates having complemental flatfinished surfaces there on slidably contacting said surfaces on saidbracket, said sealing plates being dimensioned to extend inwardly frompoints adjacent the inner faces of said press side frames intosufficient overlap with said bracket to remain in overlapping relationwith the latter throughout the range of reciprocatory movement of saidbracket, and means for yieldably retaining said sealing platesconstantly in sliding contact with said bracket.

17. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio printing press having arotatable design cylinder journaled between a pair of opposed press sideframes, the combination of an ink fountain adapted to be positionedbeneath the cylinder with the rear wall on the fountain rising alongsidethe cylinder, a reciprocable doctor mechanism including a doctor bladeand sup porting bracket therefor positioned to overlie the space betweenthe cylinder and said rear wall of said fountain, said doctor bladebeing in wiping contact with the cylinder and extending outward withreference to the latter, said bracket presenting longitudinallyextending flat finished surfaces on its end portions, non-reciprocatorysealing plates having flat surfaces thereon slidably contacting saidsurfaces on said bracket, said sealing plates being dimensioned toextend inwardly from points adjacent the inner faces of the side framesinto sufficient overlap with said bracket to remain in overlappingrelation with the latter throughout the range of reciprocatory movementof said bracket, means pivotally supporting both said bracket and saidsealing plates for rocking adjusting motion about substantially alignedaxes in an up and down direction, and means for adjusting said pivots ina plane paralleling that of said blade.

18. In an inking mechanism for a rotary in taglio printing press havinga rotatable design cylinder journaled between a pair of opposed pressside frames, the combination of an ink fountain adapted to be positionedbeneath the cylinder with the rear wall on the fountain rising alongsidethe cylinder, a reciprocable doctor mechanism including a doctor bladeand supporting bracket therefor positioned to overlie the space betweenthe cylinder and said rear wall of said fountain, said bracketpresenting longitudinally extending flat finished surfaces on its endportions, non-reciprocatory sealing plates having flat surfaces thereonslidably contacting said sur faces on said bracket, said sealing platesbeing dimensioned to extend inwardly from points adjacent the innerfaces of the side frames into sufficient overlap with said bracket toremain in overlapping relation with the latter throughout the range ofreciprocatory movement of said bracket, means pivotaliy supporting bothsaid bracket and said sealing plate; for rocking adjusting motion aboutsubstantially aligned axes in an up and down direction, a pair of splashguards arcuately contoured to overlie in closely spaced relation thetops of the end portions of the cylinder, and said splash guards havingdepending tailpieces thereon presented to the front edges of saidsealing plates and end portions of said bracket, said tailpieces beinggenerally arouate in shape with radii of curvature centered on saidpivotal axes.

19. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio printing press having arotatable design cylinder, the combination of an ink fountain adapted tobe positioned beneath the cylinder with the rear wall on the fountainrising alongside the cylinder, a reciprocable doctor mechanism includinga supporting bracket with a doctor holder thereon carrying a' doctorblade, said holder including upper and lower clamping plates with thedoctor blade sandwiched therebetween, said lower plate having its frontedge notched beneath a'major portion of the length of the blade andhaving finger portions projecting forwardly beyond the side edge of theblade at its ends, a pair of splash guards overlying the tops of the endportions of the cylinder, means for rockably adjusting said bracketabout a pivotal axis generally paralleling the cylinder axis, anddepending tailpieces on said splash guards presented to the noses ofsaid fingers and curved substantially about said pivotal axis as acenter.

20. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio printing press having arotatable design cylinder, the combination of a fountain adapted to bepositioned beneath the cylinder with the rear wall of the fountainrising alongside the cylinder, a reciprocable doctor mechanism includinga supporting bracket with a doctor holder thereon carrying a doctorblade, a depending rear guard wall on said bracket overlapping the upperportion of said rear fountain wall, means supporting said doctormechanism for pivotal adjusting movement about an axis generallyparalleling that of the cylinder and lying outside said fountain at therear thereof, and said guard well being curved with a radius ofcurvature centered substantially upon said axis.

21. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio printing press'having arotatable design cylinder, the combination of a fountain adapted to bepositioned beneath the cylinder with the rear wall of the fountainrising alongside the cylinder, a reciprocable doctor mechanism includinga supporting bracket with a doctor holder thereon carrying a doctorbrade, a depending rear guard wall on said bracket overlapping the upperportion of said rear fountain wall, said bracket also having dependingend guard walls thereon projecting forwardly in overlapping relationwith the ends of the cylinder, splash guards overlying the tops of thecylinder end portions and having tailpieces thereon projecting down infront of the forward edges of said end guard walls, means supportingsaid doctor mechanism for pivotal adjusting movement about an axisgenerally paralleling that of the cylinder and lying outside saidfountain at the rear thereof, and said rear guard wall, tailpieces andfront edges of said guard end walls all being curved with radii ofcurvature centered substantially upon said axis.

cylinder, the combination of a fountain adapted to be positioned beneaththe cylinder with the rear wall of the fountain rising alongside thecylinder, a'reciprocable doctor mechanism ineluding a supporting bracketwith a doctor holder thereon carrying a doctor blade, a depending rearguard wall on said bracket overlapping the upper portion of said rearfountain wall, said bracket also having end guard Walls thereonprojecting forward from said rear guard wall and rising to a levelclosely beneath the plane of said blade, and said blade having endportions projecting outward beyond the ends of said holder above 18 saidend guard walls in position to be gripped for stretching the blade.

CURTIS S. CRAFTS. EMORY W. WORTHINGTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

